MCLEAN, Va. and TAMPA, Fla. (Jan. 16, 2014) — RxAnte, Inc., a health care improvement company, and WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG), a leading provider of managed care services for government-sponsored health care programs, today announced that they have entered into an agreement under which WellCare will use RxAnte’s advanced analytics platform to identify existing Medicare members who are eligible for WellCare’s Medication Therapy Management (MTM) services.
“WellCare’s MTM program has been successful in helping our eligible Medicare members to reduce the risk of medication overutilization or underutilization, adhere to therapies and decrease the likelihood of adverse drug events,” said Laura Hungiville, WellCare’s vice president, pharmacy services. “RxAnte’s advanced analytics platform will help us to identify hundreds of thousands of WellCare Medicare members whose health outcomes can be improved through our MTM services.”
“Millions of Medicare beneficiaries depend on prescription medications to maintain their health status, and we want to provide the best available patient identification tools to ensure that these people get the support they need, when they need it,” said Aaron McKethan, RxAnte’s senior vice president, strategy and business development. “It is an honor and privilege to expand our partnership with WellCare, whose mission is to enhance its members’ health and quality of life.”
MTM is a part of the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003. Eligibility requirements set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) include any Medicare beneficiary who has multiple chronic diseases, has anticipated medication costs of more than $3,017 for the 2014 calendar year and takes multiple Part D medications. WellCare has been providing MTM services to its members since 2006, and has been working with RxAnte to improve medication quality measures since 2012.
About RxAnte, Inc.
RxAnte is a health technology company with an innovative analytics platform that is transforming how organizations work with health care professionals, care management intervention providers, and patients to improve the use of safe and effective prescription medications. Created by subject matter experts in medication adherence, health IT, and advanced analytics, the “RxAnte System” is a patent-pending platform that includes predictive and decision analytics, advanced evaluation methods, and an innovative platform for provider engagement. Learn more at rxante.test or follow us on Twitter.
About WellCare Health Plans, Inc.
WellCare Health Plans, Inc. provides managed care services targeted to government-sponsored health care programs, focusing on Medicaid and Medicare. Headquartered in Tampa, Fla., WellCare offers a variety of health plans for families, children, and the aged, blind, and disabled, as well as prescription drug plans. The company serves approximately 2.8 million members nationwide as of Sept. 30, 2013. For more information about WellCare, please visit the company’s website at www.wellcare.com.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains “forward-looking” statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are predictive in nature, that depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, or that include words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” and similar expressions are forward-looking statements. For example, the company’s statement regarding the anticipated number of members whose health outcomes can be improved through our MTM services is a forward-looking statement. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause WellCare’s actual future results to differ materially from those projected or contemplated in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, future changes in the RxAnte’s advanced analytics program, the demographic mix of members, future changes in health care law and Medication Therapy Management services and WellCare’s progress on top priorities such as improving health care quality and access, ensuring a competitive cost position, and delivering prudent, profitable growth. Additional information concerning these and other important risks and uncertainties can be found under the captions “Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” in the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012, the company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended September 30, 2013 and other subsequent filings by WellCare with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which contain discussions of WellCare’s business and the various factors that may affect it. WellCare undertakes no duty to update these forward-looking statements to reflect any future events, developments, or otherwise.